North Carolina State beats UConn 69-65

Kevin Duffy

Updated 2:01 pm, Wednesday, December 5, 2012

North Carolina State's Richard Howell (1) drives past Connecticut's Niels Giffey (5) during the second half of their NCAA college basketball game in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in New York. North Carolina State won 69-65. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Connecticut's Enosch Wolf (1) shoots over North Carolina State's Scott Wood (15) during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Photo: Frank Franklin II, Associated Press

Connecticut's Enosch Wolf (1) shoots over North Carolina State's...

UConn's Omar Calhoun (21) drives past North Carolina State's Scott Wood (15) during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

N.C. State's broad-shouldered 6-foot-8, 257-pound forward plowed through the Huskies' interior throughout the second half, turning a back-and-forth, one-possession game into the Wolfpack's fifth victory of the season.

"We're a different team when (Howell) plays," N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said.

Howell scored four points late -- including a put-back on the Wolfpack's 12th offensive board --to open up a 57-53 lead. C.J. Leslie followed with a fastbreak dunk, and a tight contest at Madison Square Garden suddenly became N.C. State's to lose.

A costly traveling violation on DeAndre Daniels hurt, and so did a second-chance dunk from Leslie. The dagger, though, was from Howell, who shrugged off Niels Giffey for a layup (plus the foul) with 1:14 remaining. He missed the ensuing free throw, and fittingly, N.C. State grabbed the offensive rebound to earn an additional possession.

"We were right there and let it slip away -- a couple of 50/50 balls, a couple of rebounds, stuff like that," UConn guard Ryan Boatright said. "... I feel like we did that. That was stuff we could control, not necessarily what they did."

Napier, who entered with just 17 first half points in his past six games, buried a trio of 3-pointers in the opening minutes as UConn opened up an early 20-9 advantage (DeAndre Daniels and Omar Calhoun also added longballs).

After 10 points in the first five minutes, Napier didn't score again until the 4:49 mark of the first half, burying a step-back jumper that broke a 24-24 tie. He went into the intermission with 15 points and finished with just 19.

Unwilling to let Napier single-handedly carry his team through the second half, N.C. State swarmed the junior guard, forcing the supporting cast to step up. And it did -- to a degree.

Enosch Wolf, who got the nod over Tyler Olander down the stretch, scored eight of his 12 points in the second half, including a Napier-like fallaway that tied the game, 51-51, with under eight minutes to play. R.J. Evans, returning from a two-game absence (sternalclavicular sprain), made hustle plays -- tipped balls for second chance opportunities, deflections, steals -- but failed to convert around the basket.

Plagued by foul trouble for most of the season, Olander avoided the "ticky-tack" foul, but he had no answer for Howell and N.C. State up front.

The Wolfpack (5-2) held an 18-7 rebounding edge in the second half. Howell finished with 13 points and 10 boards (all in the final 20 minutes) while Leslie added 16 points and 13 rebounds.

"They got the 50/50 balls," UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. "They showed some toughness, but I wouldn't say they out-toughed us. They made more plays when it counted, more winning plays."